U.S. patent number 7,707,747 [Application Number 11/661,368] was granted by the patent office on 2010-05-04 for footwear of shoe structure.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Urban-Nawachi Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Mitsuyuki Habara, Masao Nawachi.
United States Patent |
7,707,747 |
Nawachi , et al. |
May 4, 2010 |
Footwear of shoe structure
Abstract
A footwear shoe structure for sports and general outdoor
activity, having excellent benefits with respect to hallux vulgas,
has an internal half-size tabi (Japanese sock) structure that uses
a stretchable cloth and separates the big toe from the other four
toes, the internal structure being interposed between an instep
covering material and an upper toe part of a sole. The stretching
property of the stretchable cloth forming an upper part and the
stretching property of the stretchable cloth forming a lower part
of the internal structure are differentiated from one another so as
to be smaller in the latter than in the former. A partition member
4 formed of a soft elastic material is fitted into a crotch part
between a big toe part and a part of the internal structure for the
other four toes. In one embodiment, the upper part of the internal
structure is formed of two sheets comprising stretchable cloth of
nylon or polyester fiber, and a urethane foam 1c is interposed
therebetween. The lower part is formed in a two-sheet structure in
which an insole surface is formed of a stretchable nylon tricot
cloth, the face thereof in contact with the inside of the sole is
formed of a synthetic fiber flat weave cloth, and a urethane foam
is interposed therebetween.
Inventors: |
Nawachi; Masao (Fukuyama,
JP), Habara; Mitsuyuki (Fukuyama, JP) |
Assignee: |
Urban-Nawachi Co., Ltd.
(Fukuyama, JP)
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Family
ID: |
35004120 |
Appl.
No.: |
11/661,368 |
Filed: |
February 10, 2005 |
PCT
Filed: |
February 10, 2005 |
PCT No.: |
PCT/JP2005/002001 |
371(c)(1),(2),(4) Date: |
February 28, 2007 |
PCT
Pub. No.: |
WO2006/030546 |
PCT
Pub. Date: |
March 23, 2006 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20080086913 A1 |
Apr 17, 2008 |
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Foreign Application Priority Data
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Sep 17, 2004 [JP] |
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2004-271017 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
36/94; 36/55 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B
7/26 (20130101); A43B 3/10 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A43B
7/26 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;036/10,55,94 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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59-57104 |
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Apr 1984 |
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JP |
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3-87402 |
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Sep 1991 |
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JP |
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3001660 |
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Sep 1994 |
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JP |
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09-047302 |
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Feb 1997 |
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JP |
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09-206101 |
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Aug 1997 |
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JP |
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09-238701 |
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Sep 1997 |
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JP |
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11-032805 |
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Feb 1999 |
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JP |
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2001-128701 |
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May 2001 |
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JP |
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2001-128705 |
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May 2001 |
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JP |
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3484118 |
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Jan 2004 |
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JP |
|
Primary Examiner: Patterson; Marie
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Merek, Blackmon & Vorhees,
LLC
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. A shoe structure, comprising: an internal structure in the form
of a half-size tabi using a stretchable cloth, said internal
structure separating a big toe from the other four toes and being
interposed between an instep covering material and an upper toe
part of a sole, an upper part of said internal structure being
formed of at least two sheets comprising stretchable cloth, and a
lower part of said structure being formed of one or two sheets of
stretchable cloth, the stretching property of the stretchable cloth
of the lower part being smaller than the stretching property of the
stretchable cloth of the upper part; and a partition member formed
of a soft elastic material fitted into a crotch part of said
internal structure between a big toe part of said internal
structure and a part of said internal structure for the other four
toes.
2. A shoe structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper part
of said internal structure is formed of two sheets comprising
stretchable cloth of nylon or polyester fiber and urethane foam
interposed between the two sheets, and the lower part of said
internal structure is formed in a two-sheet structure in which an
insole surface is formed of a stretchable nylon tricot cloth, a
face in contact with an inside of the sole is formed of a synthetic
fiber flat weave cloth, and urethane foam is interposed between the
stretchable nylon tricot cloth and the synthetic fiber flat weave
cloth.
3. A shoe structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the partition
member has a root at the crotch part of said internal structure,
and the thickness of the partition member at the root is larger
than the thickness of the other parts of the partition member.
4. A shoe structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein a box toe member
for protecting a toe is interposed between the instep covering
member and said internal structure, the box toe member being made
of steel sheets or fiber reinforced plastics.
5. A footwear of a shoe structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the thickness of the partition member is about 3 mm to 10 mm, the
length of the partition member from a toe of the partition member
to a root of the partition member at the crotch part is about 25 mm
to 50 mm, the height of the root is about 20 mm to 30 mm, an arc is
formed upwardly from the toe to the root, and at least an upper
face of the root of the partition member is fixed on the inside of
the instep covering material, and the bottom of the root is fixed
on the sole.
6. A shoe structure as claimed in claim 4, wherein the thickness of
the partition member is about 3 mm to 10 mm, the length from the
toe to the root is about 25 mm to 50 mm, the height of the root is
about 20 mm to 30 mm, an arc is formed upwardly from the toe to the
root, at least an upper face of the root of the partition member is
fixed on the inside of the box toe member, and the bottom of the
root is fixed on the sole.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
The present application claims the priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 of
Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-271017, filed Sep. 17, 2004,
which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a shoe structure, wherein the inside of
the toe thereof is formed into a tabi (Japanese sock).
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Although a conventional rubber-soled tabi is footwear having work
performance and freedom of movement, it is not fit for general
sports and ordinarily going out because the toe thereof is split.
Furthermore, although some shoes have insteps with a large
circumference and some shoes have soft material to prevent hallux
vulgas, none of them have any effect on a person whose large toe
has been already deformed. On the other hand, although some shoes
having partition members inserted into crotch parts are disclosed
in some laid-open patent applications, they are unsuitable for many
hours of wear because the mere partition member can not deal with
the degree of deformation of the big toe. Furthermore, although
there are some shoes having sandal straps, they similarly can not
effectively and positively prevent the deformation of the big toe.
When the big toe bends outside once, it is difficult to correct the
hallux vulgas, and therefore, suitable manufactured goods have not
been provided yet. Furthermore, there is a safety shoe having a box
toe fitted around the toe as a protection member. In this case,
although an opening space is formed between the toes, the toes move
laterally during walking, thereby increasing fatigue and decreasing
work ability.
Known shoe structures are disclosed in: Patent Document 1--Japanese
Patent No. 3484118 official gazette; Patent Document 2--Japanese
Patent Provisional Publication No. 1997-47302 official gazette;
Patent Document 3--Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No.
1997-206101 official gazette; Patent Document 4--Japanese Patent
Provisional Publication No. 1997-238701 official gazette; Patent
Document 5--Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 1999-32805
official gazette; and Patent Document 6--Japanese Patent
Provisional Publication No. 2001-128701 official gazette.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to provide a shoe structure used
while a person works, participates in sports and ordinarily goes
out, the shoe structure having excellent effects on the stoppage of
the advance of, and on the correction of, hallux vulgas.
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
An internal structure of a half-size tabi (Japanese sock) using a
stretchable cloth and separating the big toe from the other four
toes is interposed between an instep covering material and the
upper toe part of a sole. The upper part of the internal structure
is formed of at least two sheets comprising stretchable cloth,
whereas the lower part is formed of one or two sheets comprising
stretchable cloth, wherein the stretching property of the
stretchable cloth of the lower part is smaller than the stretching
property of the stretchable cloth of the upper part. A partition
member formed of a soft elastic material is fitted into a crotch
part of the internal structure between a big toe part of the
internal structure and a part of the internal structure for the
other four toes.
In one embodiment, the upper part of the internal structure is
formed of two sheets comprising stretchable cloth of nylon or
polyester fiber and urethane foam interposed therebetween. The
lower part is formed in a two-sheet structure in which an insole
surface is formed of a stretchable nylon tricot cloth, a face in
contact with the inside of the sole is formed of a synthetic fiber
flat weave cloth, and urethane foam is interposed therebetween.
The thickness around a root of the partition member at the crotch
part may be larger than the other parts of the partition
member.
In addition, footwear according to the invention can be formed as a
safety shoe type in which a box toe member for protecting a toe is
imposed between the instep covering member and the internal
structure. The box toe member is made of steel sheets or
fiber-reinforced plastics. In the partition member, the thickness
is about 3 mm to 10 mm, the length from a toe of the partition
member to the root of the partition member at the crotch part is
about 25 mm to 50 mm, and the height of the root is about 20 mm to
30 mm. Furthermore, a circular arc is formed upwardly from the toe
to the root. At least an upper surface of the root of the partition
member is fixed on the inside of the instep covering material, and
the bottom is fixed on the sole. In this case, in the footwear
having the box toe, an upper surface of the partition member is
fixed on the inside of the box toe.
Effect of Invention
In this invention, the internal structure of a half-size tabi
(Japanese sock) using stretchable cloth and separating the big toe
from the other four toes is placed on the inside of the toe of a
shoe structure, and a partition member formed of soft elastic
material is fitted into a crotch part of the internal structure,
between the big toe and the other four toes. According to this, the
crotch part and the partition member completely separate the big
toe and the other four toes inside the toe of the shoe structure.
In addition, the partition member, together with the half-size tabi
structure using the stretchable cloth, helps stop the advance of
hallux vulgas and helps correct hallux vulgas without spoiling any
freedom of movement. That is, even if the big toe exhibits hallux
vulgas, the soft elastic material having a fixed thickness and
hardness soon and precisely holds in the crotch part so as to
freely move the big toe. Therefore, the stoppage of the advance of
hallux vulgas and the correction of hallux vulgas can be always
naturally performed. This feature is due to the internal structure
being formed into the half-size tabi structure that is separated
from the heel part of the shoe structure. This internal structure
is excellent because it can be simply and easily fitted to shoes of
various forms regardless of the shape of the heels of the shoes.
Furthermore, the upper part of the internal structure is formed of
at least two sheets comprising stretchable cloth, and the lower
part is formed of one or two sheets comprising stretchable cloth,
wherein the stretching property of the stretchable cloth of the
lower part is smaller than the stretching property of the
stretchable cloth of the upper part. According to this, the
footwear can be conveniently sewn into various foot shapes, is easy
to wear, has a comfortable feeling that the instep is properly
tightened, and is not tiring even if worn for a long time.
Where the stretchable cloth of the upper part and the stretchable
cloth of the lower part of the internal structure are respectively
formed in a two-sheet structure and a urethane foam of fixed
thickness and hardness is imposed therebetween, the footwear is
even more comfortable and less tiring.
The usual rubber-soled tabi for work has no protection members at
the toe, and therefore, it has no protection against falling
objects. However, according to the invention, the box toe for
protecting the toes of the wearer can be imposed between the instep
covering material and the internal structure at the toe end, and
can greatly contribute to safety in work in the field, besides
helping to stop and correct hallux vulgas.
In conventional general safety shoes, the shape of the box toe is
formed slightly larger than a last. Accordingly, while walking, the
big toe is not fixed in place, thereby allowing lateral movement of
the big toe inside the toe of the shoe. Accordingly, tread power
can not be positively imparted to the ground, thereby heavily
fatiguing the foot during working, as well as during walking.
However, where the internal structure of the half-size tabi of the
invention is inserted, where the cloth of the upper part thereof is
differentiated from the cloth of the lower part, and where the
partition member formed of the soft elastic material is inserted
into the crotch part of the internal structure, between the big toe
and the other four toes, the lateral movement of the foot can be
remarkably prevented. In addition, freedom of movement is not
compromised, and contact with the ground is fine.
The appearance of the toe of a shoe structure employing the present
invention is entirely round, which is a common shape, and
therefore, a person having hallux vulgas can wear shoes without
looking different. Furthermore, the present invention is also
effective in special shoes, such as for sports, working, climbing
and golfing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an internal structure used in the
invention, and
FIG. 1B is a transverse sectional view thereof.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a pad material, used with the
invention, for an opening of a shoe for inserting a foot.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a partition member used in the
invention.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a last used in the invention.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view, with a portion of an instep covering
material lifted and the sole still separate, of a shoe according to
the present invention during production.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a running shoe showing an example
of the invention.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view, with a portion of an instep covering
material lifted, of a safety shoe showing an example of the
invention.
PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
A shoe structure according to the present invention, which is for
use while a person participates in sports and ordinarily goes out,
is well fitted to the ground and easy to wear. The shoe structure
also has excellent effects in stopping the advance of hallux vulgas
and correcting hallux vulgas due to the fitting of a special
internal structure of a half-size tabi into the toe.
Example 1
A running shoe will be explained as an example of the invention
reference to drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a special internal structure of the
invention, namely an internal structure 1 of a half-size tabi
inserted into the toe of a shoe. Here, the upper part A of the
internal structure 1 is formed of two sheets 1a, 1b comprising
stretchable cloth of nylon or Dacron knitted material, with a
urethane foam 1c interposed therebetween. The thickness t thereof
is 2 mm to 5 mm. As shown in the drawing, a crotch part 2 is formed
in a toe part p so as to partition the big toe and the other four
toes of a foot at an adequate interval.
The lower part B of the internal structure 1 is formed in a
two-sheet structure in which a face in contact with the inside of
the sole is formed of a synthetic fiber flat weave cloth 1e whose
stretch is inferior to the that of the upper part A (which can even
be non-stretchable), an insole surface is formed of a stretchable
nylon tricot cloth 1f, and an urethane foam 1c is positioned
therebetween similarly. In this case, since the face in contact
with the inside of the sole is formed of the flat weave cloth 1e, a
seam of a sewn part m between the upper part A and the lower part B
is pulled so as to be always positioned at the inside of the sole
and not to move vertically on the left and right sides while
hanging on various lasts. This is very important to make the shoe
easy to wear and comfortable without feeling incompatible with the
sole.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a pad member 3 for an opening of a
shoe for inserting a foot. The upper edge 3a of the pad material 3
is sewn to the instep covering side, and left and right side edges
3b are sewn to left and right free side parts 1d of the internal
structure 1.
FIG. 3 shows a partition member 4 to be inserted into the crotch
part 2 of the internal structure, the partition member being formed
of a soft elastic material such as latex sponge, urethane sponge,
rubber sponge and EVA sponge. The hardness of the partition member
4 is about 5 degrees to 35 degrees on a C hardness meter. The
thickness t' thereof is about 3 mm to 10 mm, the length from a toe
of the partition member to the root of the partition member at the
crotch part of the internal structure is about 25 mm to 50 mm, and
the height of the root is about 20 mm to 30 mm. In addition, a
circular arc is formed upwardly from the toe to the root. As can be
seen from FIGS. 3 and 5, the root is formed as a cylindrical body
4a that is about 2 mm to 5 mm wider than the thickness t' of the
rest of the partition member.
Accordingly, the stoppage of the advance of hallux vulgas and the
correction of hallux vulgas are easily accomplished by suitably
changing the thickness of the partition member 4 and the shape of
the cylindrical body 4a.
FIG. 4 shows a last 5 formed so that the partition member 4 can be
inserted easily. More specifically, the width 5b of the crotch part
is about 3 mm to 7 mm, a root of the crotch part is formed
cylindrical, and the width 5a thereof is about 5 mm to 15 mm.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view, with a portion of an instep covering
material lifted and the sole still separate, showing a running shoe
8 produced from the internal structure 1 and the partition member
4. In the figure, 5 is a last, 6 is an instep covering material,
and 7 is a sole member. In this embodiment of the invention, the
partition member 4 is inserted into the crotch part 2 of the
internal structure 1 of the special half-size tabi. In addition,
the upper part of the cylindrical body 4a, which is a swelling
body, of the partition member 4 is fixed at least on a back face 6a
of the instep covering member 6 on the toe side by an adhesive
agent, whereas the lower part is fixed on the sole member 7 by
sizing. On the other hand, the toe side is hung to be fit to the
shape of the last, finished in a rounded toe, and thereafter put on
the sole member 7 with the adhesive agent.
FIG. 6 shows the running shoe 8. In the invention, the internal
structure 1 of the half-size tabi formed of the stretchable cloth
and the partition member 4 having suitable hardness are put on the
toe side between the instep covering material and the sole, and
other structure is produced according to a conventional shoe
method.
When performing the above-mentioned sizing, the upper face of the
cylindrical body 4a that forms the root of the partition member 4
is fixed at least on the back face 6a of the instep covering member
6 by the adhesive agent. However, an arc part 4b need not always be
fixed. However, a bottom face part 4c of the partition member 4
must certainly be fixed on the sole member 7 by the adhesive agent.
The upper cloth 1a of the upper part A forming a two-sheet
structure of the internal structure 1 is fixed on the back face 6a,
whereas the flat weave cloth 1c of the lower part B is fixed on the
sole member 7 by the adhesive agent. Here, although a side face
part 4d forming vertical faces of the partition member 4 may be
fixed on the crotch part of the internal structure 1, it is
preferable to leave the side face part 4d freely rocking without
fixing, because then freedom of movement is increased while the
internal structure 1 of the half-size tabi is provided.
In the above-mentioned example, although the lower part B of the
internal structure 1 is formed in a two-sheet structure, it may be
formed in a one-sheet structure (not shown). In this case, the
lower part B is formed of a non-stretchable cloth or of a cloth
inferior in stretchability to that of the upper part A, such as a
flat weave cloth.
Example 2
FIG. 7 is a perspective view, with a portion of an instep covering
material lifted, of a safety shoe 9 of the invention. The safety
shoe 9 has a box toe member 10 in the toe as a protection member.
As shown in figure, the box toe member 10 is interposed between the
instep covering material 6 and the internal structure 1.
Specifically, the upper cloth 1a of the internal structure 1 is
firmly fitted into the safety shoe 9 by being fixed on the inside
of the box toe member 10 by an adhesive agent. Therefore, while
keeping the safety feature of the box toe member 10, the safety
shoe 9 has effects on the stoppage of the advance of hallux vulgas
and the correction of hallux vulgas due to the internal structure
1, as in the case of Example 1. Well-known structures for
protecting the toe, such as steel sheets or fiber-reinforced
plastics, can be used as the box toe member 10.
In the above-mentioned examples, although a running shoe and a
safety shoe are respectively explained, the footwear of the
invention is not restricted to these, but can be applied to all
sport shoes, chemical shoes for children, and footwear having
special shoe structures, such as golf shoes and mountaineering
shoes.
Making the internal structure 1 a half-size tabi structure using
stretchable cloth in the invention has a synergistic effect with
the partition member 4 in keeping the partition member 4 between
the big toe and the other toes. Furthermore, the partition member 4
can provide extremely comfortable stimulation in addition to being
soft and freely rockable.
The footwear of the invention constitutes fine manufactured goods
that have an external appearance no different from that of
conventional sports shoes and that are easy to wear. Particularly,
freedom of movement with the footwear of the invention is good. In
addition, while walking, a person can feel stimulation in the
crotch part of the internal structure, which is not felt with
conventional goods. Structurally, the partition member separates
toes, thereby giving a strong feel for the ground to each toe and
preventing lateral movement of toes when the foot strikes the
ground, thereby increasing stability. Simultaneously, the
stimulation in the crotch part of the internal structure improves
health. Therefore, the stoppage of the advance of hallux vulgas,
the correction of hallux vulgas, and the decreasing of fatigue are
effectively achieved. The feature of the half-size tabi structure
centered in the instep part can be applied to various comfortable
shoes having excellent freedom of movement. Furthermore, these
goods can be produced inexpensively and easily.
* * * * *